Review of Martin i Soler ferry

MV Martin i Soler ferry is a Ro-Ro passenger vessel owned and operated by the Spanish company BALEARIA. The ship has a max capacity of 1164 passengers and 105 cars. The vessel was launched in 2008 and currently operates on the ferry route Barcelona-Alcudia (crossing time 6,5 hours).

Cabins

As cruise ferry, Martin i Soler has a total of 46 cabins, of which 40 are 4-berth, 4 are 2-berth and 2 are 2-berth wheelchair-accessible (adapted for disabled passengers), All staterooms are air-conditioned and with en-suite bathrooms. The ferry company provides bed linens, towels, and toiletries.

The ship's Reserved Seating Lounge (Neptune Lounge) is equipped with large TV and reclining Pullman seats (comfortable, fully reclining leather armchairs). Reserved seats are available for pre-booking. These deals are inclusive of complimentary beverages (tea, coffee, soft drinks). The Lobby Bar Lounge is furnished with comfortable leather sofas and chairs and round tables.

All passengers must vacate their staterooms 30 min prior to homeport arrival.

Luggage Compartments - there are luggage lockers (available in the ship's passenger lounge) which are accessible throughout the voyage.

Pet Cages (upon booking, the pet cage type must be indicated). For pet owners, all Balearia ships offer 2 types of cages - small cage (max height 50-75 cm / pets less than 30 kg) and large cage (max height 70-90 cm / pets over 30 kg). Passengers can also bring their own pet carriers. In all 3 cases, cage pricing is fixed (EUR 3-10 per voyage) and varies depending on the ferry route. Valid health cards for pets are required. Under no circumstances, pets are allowed out of their cages/carriers during the crossing. During embarkation and disembarkation, dogs must be leashed and muzzled. Passengers with pets always disembark last.

Entreolas by Balearia Magazine is a free of charge onboard magazine themed on travel and lifestyle, culture, sports, fashion, music, cuisine, Balearia news. Wi-Fi and Internet are available at extra cost. Mobile phone chargers and Ipad rentals are also offered.

All Balearia ships are equipped with CCTV cameras with image recording. Smoking anywhere inside the ships is not permitted.

Car decks

All ferried vehicles must have documentation and valid insurance. Having the car's technical data sheet makes boarding checks easier. Upon booking, the vehicle's model, length and height must be specified. Car ferry passengers must arrive at the departure port 90 min prior departure.

All Balearia ships have a hold for bikes. Free of charge travel bicycles, mopeds, and motorbikes (up to 125 cc), which must be indicated upon booking.

(ferry + train travel) Balearia has a partnership with the Spanish state-owned railroad company Renfe Operadora. The company serves the routes between Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Marseilles, Barcelona, and Madrid. The Balearia-Renfe partnership offers discounted train travel. Upon online booking the Balearia ferry, there is an option that if checked creates a Renfe promo code. The code is valid for the next 48 hours if you book online Renfe trains.

(day tour) deals are valid when purchasing roundtrip tickets and within 24 hours after booking (no changes or cancellations are accepted). Kids under 13 receive a 50% discount, while babies travel for free. Day tour package prices range between EUR 10-60 (depending on itinerary). Shuttle bus service is provided.

In late-November 2018, BALEARIA started a EUR 12 million drydock retrofit project for retrofitting six ferries (starting with Napoles on Nov 18) to be converted to LNG (liquified natural gas). All drydocks (at Gibraltar Gibdock shipyards) included modifying of the engines and installing LNG tanks. The conversion project was scheduled for completion on February 15, 2019.

Each ship got dual-fuel (LNG-diesel) MAN engines (9L-51-60-DF).

The change results in fuel savings, with expected annual emissions reduction per vessel over 9113 tons (CO2) and over 871 tons (NOx) plus zero SOx emissions and soot particles. Ferry's annual CO2 reduction is equal to the emissions of around 6000 cars.

Wartsila-made LNG tanks (one per vessel) are able to store up to 440 m3 LNG, which allows autonomous operations up to 1900 km (1200 ml). Onboard gas pipes are from Cryospain (Madrid-based). The project as engineering was designed by Cotenaval (Valencia-based).